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Focus
is a radical and revolutionary concept. It demands that the storyteller
find out everything possible about the story including, as far
as possible, its context, structure and meaning before its
shot.
Focus is an essential element in Storytelling. Its
what great Storytellers do. And always have done. For a million years
or so. Whether they realize it or not.
- Focus is the powerful, liberating,
guiding and central idea of the story.
- Focus is the midwife of Storytelling.
- Focus gives the story life, shape and energy.
- Focus designs and enables the story.
In fact, Focus gives the story freedom, helps the Storyteller
push the story as far as it can go.
Once youve Focused, you can trust the story to
more or less tell itself. You get out of its way. You let the story
flourish and grow.
Focus says: Know Thy Story
then help it tell itself.
Focus is a leap of faith.
First,
do the research. Somewhere in the research, sitting there, waiting to
be born, is the Focus of the story.
When you find the Focus, write:
A taut, tough, tight, specific declarative
sentence expressing the soul the essence of the story
as it will be on air.
Then you share it with the crew. Then you go out and shoot
it.
The
Focus sentence:
- Always contains both cause and
effect.
- Almost always includes a person.
The viewer relates to people. The viewer understands and empathizes
through the experiences of other people.
- Cant be a question its
the answer to that final question which has echoed down so many
ages through so many newsrooms: "what the hell is this story about?"
- Is written in the active voice
as tightly, vividly and simply as possible.
- Contains strong imagery
elements you can see, feel, smell, taste.
- Is very specific it
defines precisely what youre going to shoot, edit and report.
- Dictates the chronology, the
order of events and, therefore, the structure of the story.
- Is a road map. It tells everyone involved
where theyre going and how they might get there.
- Identifies the roles of the
principal player/s.
- Defines and reveals the emotional as well as
the factual meaning of the story.
- Defines the moral basis and,
therefore, the intended emotional effect of the story.
- Evaluates the stake involved.
The greater the stake, the higher the risk, the stronger the story.
- Goes all the way, pushes the
story as far as it can legitimately go. All the way to the wall. Focus
is not for the weak of heart.
- Defines what the story is
not, just as much as what it is. You leave out of the Focus any
major elements which arent part of the story. Maybe you put them
in another Focus. But dont put them in this one.
- Is shared with everyone involved
in making the story assignment editor, cameraperson, editor etc.
thus enabling them to buy into the story, share its ownership. It makes
sure that everybody involved understands the story and is working on
the same story in the same way.
- Makes sure the story is absolutely
clear to the viewer. But be warned Focus also makes the
story absolutely clear to hungry lawyers.
- Is dangerous. Dont fall in
love with the Focus the better the Focus, the more likely
it is to betray you. Life has a nasty habit of not always agreeing with
research. Focus must change as events change.
Think
of Focus like this Focus is somebody doing something for a reason.
Fill in the somebody. Then fill in the reason. Now you have a Focus.
Congratulations.
How
We Train is available as an Acrobat
document.
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Last
Revision:
March 17, 2002
© 2002, tim knight + associates
Email: Tim Knight Email: Webmaster
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